Parental Intervention
by lostwords
Summary: The Potters and Weasleys feel the need to keep an eye on their kids at Hogwarts. DH SPOILERS!


**A/N-** Written because I was in a particularly fluffy mood. Dedicated to all protective, well meaning parents everywhere.

08/03/08- Edited mildly. No content altered.

Christmas at the Burrow

"Honestly Ronald! I told you that we should have left earlier," Hermione's affronted voice came from the front seat of the old Ford Angelia.

"Remind me again why we let Ron drive?" an amused Harry asked his wife who was sitting right next to him.

Ginny laughed and began buttoning up her coat as King's Cross came into view. Ron parked the car, albeit clumsily, and turned around, his face shone with excitement.

The light snow that had begun to fall when they left their respective homes had now accumulated so much that the park bench and light posts festively decorated with Christmas wreaths and ribbons now supported a fresh white coating.

"Oh, I can't wait to see the kids!" Ron said, his excitement nearly causing him to crash into a trolley. Hermione rolled her eyes and with Ginny and Harry trailing behind, followed Ron as waded through the crowd heading for Platform 9 3/4.

They stepped through the solid brick one by one — Harry still closing his eyes due to force of habit. When they reached the Platform the scarlet gleam of the Hogwarts Express caught their eyes, looking more beautiful than ever.

"Dad!" voices yelled from somewhere in the distance. Harry and Ron both looked up eagerly and saw Hugo and Albus running towards them, bright smiles on their face.

"And what are we, bubotuber pus?" Hermione asked exasperatedly to Ginny who laughed, watching Albus hug his father.

"Mum!" another voice yelled and Ginny saw Lily, with her flaming red hair braided in pigtails running towards her. Lily jumped into a hug, giggling.

"Where's James and Rose?" Ginny asked, looking over her son's head.

"Rose is saying goodbye to—someone" Albus said with a hint of amusement, "And James is...er...watching them."

Ron's head shot up at this. Without saying another word he began marching forward, a look of worry clouding his face.

The rest of them followed nervously, unsure of what to expect, but they needn't have worried for when they spotted Rose she was quite alone, pulling on the sleeves of James' shirt.

James was yelling at someone hidden from view, his glasses nearly tipping off his nose.

"Oh is that what you think?" he shouted, "Well at least I'm not an annoying little know—"

But he cut off when he saw his parents.

"Mum. Dad," he said, clearly surprised to see them. Harry and Ginny leaned their heads over to see who he was yelling at.

Wearing her best Muggle clothes under which a Hogwarts Prefect badge was perfectly pinned, there stood a young woman who was a spitting image of Padma Patil.

"Mr. and Mrs. Potter...its so good to see you again," Nita Roal said in a clearly embarrassed but nevertheless polite tone. She wrung her hands and smiled sheepishly.

James watched steely as she greeted his favorite aunt and uncle as well.

"I'm sorry, I think I see my parents" she said quickly, quite eager to escape.

"Good-bye Rose, Hugo, Al, Lily…" she muttered, nodding to each of them. Her eyes lingered for a second on James and she nodded curtly before looking to the adults and wishing them a happy holiday.

James made a funny noise which a cross between a scoff and a grunt.

Nearly six-feet tall with messier dark hair and his own prefect badge pinned to his shirt, he was magnificently taller than his mum but still seemed to shrink under Ginny's glare.

"Why were you yelling at Nita? She's a wonderfully polite girl," she said reproachfully.

"Don't be fooled Mum," James spat with distaste, "You'll never meet anyone that's more of an annoying know-it-all than Nita Roal."

Ron caught Hermione's eye and grinned.

But before James could say anymore, a tall striking brunette came up to him and kissed him on the cheek and left, without so much as saying a word.

Harry's eyebrows shot up but James didn't seem to notice. His handsome face was still covered by a scowl and he didn't say a word as they made their way towards the barrier that separated them from the muggle world.

As they climbed into the car, Ron caught Harry's eye and sniggered quietly.

Albus and Rose got into a heated discussion over Nearly Headless Nick and Lily and Hugo were now eagerly telling their mums how they both had managed to change a toothpick into a needle the day before yesterday.

By the time they reached the Burrow, James still hadn't said a word. Only when his gradmum pulled him into a choking hug did his silence break.

Molly, though getting quite old, had still managed to cook a magnificent meal with enough food to feed all of Hogwarts.

Soon the Burrow filled with all relatives.

Bill and Fleur arrived shortly after Victoire had with her husband, Teddy Lupin. George and his wife Alicia created quite a scene when George unexpectedly crept behind Ron and transfigured his drink into a flubberworm.

Harry watched as Albus and Percy's son Thomas played chess (admittedly Albus was losing badly, seemingly having inherited his father's lack of skill in chess) and looked fondly at everyone in the room.

"It's time" Ron whispered in his ear. Harry nodded silently and made his way towards the kitchen.

Ginny and Hermione were already there, leaning against the counter a similar disapproving look on their face.

"Who's first you reckon?" Harry asked.

"I'd say James. Did you see that girl kiss him?" Ron laughed.

"You seem to be forgetting that our _darling_ Rosie was saying good-bye to someone before we caught up with her. Someone whom James felt he had to keep an eye on," Harry smirked as Ron paled.

"Alright then, Rose first…that way we'll get Al too" he said determinedly. He left the kitchen an when he returned he was pulling a reluctant James with him.

James stopped in front of the adults warily. He was all too familiar with this ordeal.

"So?" Ron prodded anxiously.

"Albus has a crush on a fifth year…" he said to Ginny, avoiding Ron's gaze.

"We want to hear about Rosie!" Ron said determindedly.

He let out a sigh and began, "She's very popular, lots of blokes like her."

He stopped as Ron let out a anguished moan. Hermione smiled and signaled him to go on.

"But she seems to be interested in one boy in particular. Someone, whom I don't think you're going to be over the moon about…"

Ron looked as if someone had told him the Chudley Cannons were really House Elves in disguise.

"Who?" he said hoarsely.

"Scorpius Malfoy"

Ron nearly fainted.

* * *

"Ron"

"Ron!"

"I think he's gone, Hermione."

"Harry, stop laughing!"

"I-I'm sorry" Harry chuckled.

"Can I go now?" James asked.

Ginny nodded and James fled from the kitchen, looking relieved.

"I'm going to get Rose," Ginny said, "Don't look so shocked Ron, she might suspect."

Ginny came back seconds later with a smiling Rose.

"So?" Ginny asked.

Rose's smile grew wider but she didn't say anything.

"Who has James been seeing?" Harry asked, elbowing Ron in the ribs to wipe the dozy look off his face.

"Oh, Uncle Harry…" Rose said cheerfully, "It might be quicker to list who he hasn't been seeing."

Hermione sniggered and Ginny shook her head, exasperated.

"Who was the girl on the platform...the one that kissed him…" Harry egged her on.

Rose looked puzzled for a second.

"That's Angie Thomas" she said simply, "His newest girlfriend..."

"Dean Thomas' daughter?" Ginny asked curiously. With an unpleasant feeling Harry realized that Dean used to be Ginny's boyfriend.

"But I wouldn't get too attached," Rose said matter-of-factly, "Everyone knows James' is in love with Nita Roal, he's just too dense to admit it"

Hermione beamed a bit and patted Ron who looked like he was beginning to regain composure.

"Alright, thanks Rosie" Ginny said as Rose bounced off towards the party.

"I'll get Lily," Hermione said, leaving.

"Oh cheer up Ron!" Harry said, "I bet the Malfoy kid's not that bad, he's in Ravenclaw for one thing…"

"You just wait till your daughter likes Zabini's spawn and we'll see how you feel," Ron said, using the counter for support.

"Hugo thinks Amy is icky, but I think she's really nice…" Lily concluded after a few minutes of non-stop chatter.

The four adults seized the opportunity to tell her she'd done well and edged her off into the party.

"She's a talker," Hermione grinned.

Indeed Lily seemed to have taken her assignment to heart and had treated the adults to nearly thirty minutes on Hugo's life at Hogwarts.

Harry left to find Hugo while Ginny smiled at Ron.

"How are you holding up?"

"Fine," Ron muttered darkly.

Hugo came in slowly with a Butterbeer in his hand.

"Lily likes everyone," he said slowly. With a bit more encouragement he said a little more, but ultimately there was not a lot to tell on eleven-year-olds romantic interests.

As Hugo left, the four friends crowded in the doorway to watch the party. Ron still hadn't recovered.

"You think they'll ever find out that we've turned them on each other?" Harry asked as he watched Teddy shoot harmless sparks at Hugo.

"No…" said Hermione, "They're just as clueless as Ron is..."

Ginny, Harry and Hermione laughed.

"Ron?"

"Ron!"

"Oh, bugger. He's fainted,"

The End.


End file.
